Every year on 21 September, the International Day of Spreading Information on Alzheimer’s Disease or World Alzheimer’s Day is celebrated. It was established in 1994 at the initiative of the organizations, researching the disease and finding ways to slow down its development.
Alzheimer’s disease (senile Alzheimer-type dementia) – neurodegenerative disease, first described in 1906 by the German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer. It is usually found in humans older than 65 years, but there is also early Alzheimer’s disease (a rare form). There are about 55 million elderly people with dementia in the world today. According to experts, this number will increase steadily and by 2050 will reach 139 million people.
Dementia is a progressive or chronic syndrome, in which degradation and destruction of the ability to think (i.e. cognitive function) far more so than it happens during the normal process of aging. In dementia, memory, thinking, understanding, speech and the ability to navigate, count, perceive and reason decrease. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia – it accounts for 60-70 per cent of all dementia cases. Dementia affects people in all countries. Study of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, is very relevant, as the world’s population is ageing rapidly. To protect yourself from the major comorbidities of Alzheimer’s disease, it is necessary to:
– do sports (at the same time doctors advise to pay attention to cardio);
– eat properly, avoiding excessively fatty dishes, carbohydrates, sugar;
– monitor the blood pressure level;
– monitor blood glucose levels;
– not to smoke
– try to “load” the brain: play educational and board games; learn new things; learn poems.